ESO Fungal Chasm Puzzle: Subjugating Mindspore Location

The ESO Fungal Chasm Puzzle contains a hidden route leading to the Subjugating Mindspore, an item needed to complete one of the Nowhere Vault’s secret objectives. Unlike the normal route through Fungal Chasm, this hidden path is almost invisible unless you’ve obtained a special effect from another room.

Before attempting the puzzle, you’ll need Fungal Vision from Murky Grotto. Once you have it, you can reveal a green staircase, climb to a concealed area and collect the Subjugating Mindspore. The item is also required later in the Cursed Castle wing, so it’s worth understanding where it goes after you’ve found it.

How to get Fungal Vision for the ESO Fungal Chasm Puzzle

Fungal Vision is obtained from Murky Grotto, another challenge room in the Arcanum wing of the Nowhere Vault. You’ll need to trigger its hidden boss encounter rather than simply finishing the room’s normal objective.

Start the encounter by activating the plant that begins the waves of enemies. Instead of clearing everything immediately, keep the encounter running and leave the toxic plants alive.

Stay near the activated plant and survive the incoming damage while the encounter progresses. Eventually, a secret boss called the Toxic Matron will appear.

Defeat the Toxic Matron to obtain Fungal Vision. This is the effect needed to reveal the hidden staircase in Fungal Chasm.

If you finish Murky Grotto without encountering the Toxic Matron, you’ll need another opportunity to complete the secret objective. Killing all the enemies too quickly can end the encounter before the hidden boss appears.

For more detail, see our ESO Murky Grotto Secret Boss guide.

ESO Fungal Chasm Puzzle: Subjugating Mindspore Location

Once you have Fungal Vision, enter Fungal Chasm in the Arcanum wing. The Subjugating Mindspore is located in a hidden area reached by climbing a translucent green staircase on the left side of the room.

Follow these steps to reach it:

1. Enter Fungal Chasm with Fungal Vision obtained from Murky Grotto.
2. From the entrance, look towards the left side of the room for a faint green staircase.
3. Approach the translucent steps and jump onto the first accessible section.
4. Follow the staircase upwards, making your way towards the ledge on the left.
5. Reach the hidden upper area and interact with the Subjugating Mindspore to collect it.

The staircase can be awkward to reach because its translucent appearance makes the edges difficult to judge. If you’re struggling to get onto the first section, try jumping towards the visible green steps rather than searching for an ordinary stone staircase.

Some players have used the Sorcerer’s Streak ability to help with the movement, but this isn’t a required skill. The important prerequisite is Fungal Vision, and the route can be approached without changing your character’s class abilities.

Once you reach the top, the Subjugating Mindspore is the hidden reward you’re looking for. There’s no additional combination puzzle to solve at the pickup itself.

Where to use the Subjugating Mindspore in ESO

The Subjugating Mindspore isn’t used elsewhere in Fungal Chasm. Its purpose becomes clear when you reach Prison of the Unrepentant in the Cursed Castle wing of the Nowhere Vault.

Inside Prison of the Unrepentant, look through the side rooms for the hidden interaction known as Physical Escape. The Subjugating Mindspore enables this interaction, allowing you to progress towards the Cursed Castle seal objective.

Completing this secret is part of the wider Gryphon Seal progression. The seals connect objectives from different wings of the Nowhere Vault, with items obtained in one area needed to unlock secrets somewhere else.

That means collecting the Mindspore is an important step, but it doesn’t complete the entire seal puzzle by itself.

ESO Fungal Chasm Puzzle Not Working: What to Check

If you can’t see the staircase in Fungal Chasm, the first thing to check is whether you’ve obtained Fungal Vision.

Simply completing Murky Grotto isn’t enough. You need to defeat the Toxic Matron and receive the secret effect. Without it, you won’t be able to identify the hidden staircase as intended.

If you already have Fungal Vision, return towards the entrance of Fungal Chasm and look to the left. The staircase is translucent green, so it can blend into the surrounding scenery.

If you can see the staircase but can’t reach it, adjust your jumping position. Players have reported that jumping directly onto the green steps and then towards the left-hand ledge works better than trying to walk onto the route.

ZeniMax also corrected several Fungal Chasm portal problems during Update 51 testing. Those fixes shouldn’t be confused with the Fungal Vision requirement, although they don’t rule out separate problems appearing in the live game.

Does the ESO Fungal Chasm Puzzle Require a Specific Room Order?

Nowhere Vault challenge rooms are selected from randomized room pools, which means you won’t necessarily encounter Murky Grotto before Fungal Chasm.

If Fungal Chasm appears before you’ve obtained Fungal Vision, you can still complete the normal room objective. However, you’ll need to return when you have the required secret effect to find the Subjugating Mindspore.

The same principle applies after collecting the Mindspore. Prison of the Unrepentant belongs to a different wing, so you might not encounter its hidden interaction immediately.

These connected objectives ultimately contribute to the Nowhere Vault’s wider seal and achievement progression. Completing the Heir to the Sage’s Legacy achievement awards the Ancient Direnni Quasigriff mount.

The ESO Fungal Chasm Puzzle becomes much easier once you’ve collected Fungal Vision. The hidden staircase is on the left from the entrance, with the Subjugating Mindspore waiting at the top. From there, your next destination is Prison of the Unrepentant, where the item helps unlock the Cursed Castle seal objective.

Official source: ZeniMax Online Studios Update 51 PTS Patch Notes